Ex-49ers QB compares Kyle Shanahan to all-time great coach
· Yahoo Sports
Alex Smith thinks it's only a matter of time before San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan wins a championship
The former 49ers quarterback and current ESPN analyst drew a direct comparison between Shanahan and Hall of Fame coach Andy Reid — and suggested a championship run for the 49ers head coach is inevitable.
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"I think he's one of the best head coaches in football," Smith said of Shanahan in a recent interview with Larry Kreuger. "He reminds me a lot of when I went to Kansas City with Andy. At that point, Andy was widely regarded as an amazing head coach, an offensive mind, but hadn't won the big one yet. And Kyle's been on the doorstep how many times now?"
Reid was the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles for 14 seasons and, despite nine playoff appearances, three NFC championship appearances and one Super Bowl appearance, didn't win his first Lombardi Trophy until the 2019 season with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback in Kansas City. Shanahan is in a similar boat, having been to the playoffs five times, the NFC title game three times and losing in the Super Bowl twice — both to Reid's Chiefs.
Smith went on to say the longer Shanahan remains in contention, the more inevitable a title becomes.
"It's going to happen, and it's going to be an avalanche," Smith said. "All of a sudden, we are going to be talking about him on the Mount Rushmore. Every year, look at the division. Arguably, the two best teams in football last year were in that division, and look at the Niners' track record against them. Look how well they played them. Given all the adversity, what everybody expected to be a down year — a rebuild, reset year — and when you remain that competitive, you're always going to have a chance."
Smith, who was drafted by San Francisco with the No. 1 overall pick in 2005, said he wishes he could have played in Shanahan's system. He also credited Shanahan and general manager John Lynch for building one of the most stable organizations in the league.
"At some point the dam's gonna break for Kyle and the Niners," Smith said. "As a Niner fan, we are lucky to have this guy. Him and John Lynch — look how stable these guys have been. Look where the franchise is at. And obviously so much of it is because of Kyle."
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Alex Smith compares 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan to Chiefs HC Andy Reid